It’s been a few years since Lifehacker looked at the slang of Generation Z—long enough that Generation Alpha has had time to develop and spread some of its own special buzzwords and jargon. Below is an alphabetized collection of slang taken from both Gen Z and Gen A, in case someone younger than you says something you don’t understand. As with all slang, if you need an online list to know what a word means, you are too old to say it aloud.
Ate/eat: Done particularly well, particularly regarding clothing. ie: “You ate that outfit.” See also: “serving”
Aura: Someone who is mysterious and cool is said to “have aura.”
Bed-rotting: Staying in bed all day. You may know it as “lazing around.” See also: “Hurkle-durkle.”
Bop: New York slang for a girl who sleeps around
Brain-rot: A description of the overuse of stupid slang. See also: “Skibidi”
Bubba truck: A lifted or otherwise modified pick-up truck
Chad: An attractive man; i.e. an “alpha male”
Chat: A reference to streamers addressing their chat windows aloud. Saying “chat” in real life is an ironic joke.
Coomer: A man who masturbates too often
Corn: “Corn” is algo-speak that means “porn.” Used in online spaces where the word might cause your account to be flagged or banned.
Coworker-core: A catch-all description for things that are unfunny or uninteresting in a way that appeals to older people
Delulu: Delusional
Doomer: A person who is overly negative and/or cynical
Drip: A fashionable or stylish look
Edgar: A variation of the Caesar haircut worn especially among hispanic males. Also refers to the kind of person who wears the haircut.
Fanum tax: The theft of food between friends. Named for streamer Fanum, known for “taxing” his friends by taking bites of their meals or stealing fries.
Fent-fold: A description of the bent-over posture of people nodding on heavy drugs
Gamer dent: The temporary indentation left on someone’s hair or skin after wearing headphones for too long
Geeker: Someone who uses a lot of drugs
Glaze: To overly praise someone, often insincerely, or with the hope of getting something in return
Green fn: An interjection one might used when someone does something cool or impressive. Often used ironically.
Gooning: Extended masturbation without orgasm done for the purpose of entering an altered state of consciousness
Gyatt or Gyat: Once an interjection used when seeing someone sexy, like “god-DAMN,” “gyatt” has come to mean “attractive booty.”
Hurkle-durkle: Based on an archaic Scottish word, “hurkle-durkle” means to lounge in bed after it is time to get up. See also: “bed-rotting.”
“It’s so over”: The situation is hopeless. The opposite of “we’re so back.” See also: “Doomer.”
Jelqing: The use of stretching or weights in an attempt to increase penis size
Jit: A kid. Regional slang from Florida used ironically online
JOMO: A play on FOMO (fear of missing out) JOMO is an acronym that stands for “joy of missing out.”
“Learn Chinese”: Sports slang directed at failing players. They are in danger of being sent to play in China, so they should “learn Chinese.”
Looksmaxxing: Maximizing one’s physical attractiveness through personal grooming, working out, and dressing stylishly. See also: “-maxxing.”
-maxxing: A suffix used with any word to indicate trying to improve. Seeing your friends could be called “friendmaxxing,” working out could be called “gymmaxxing,” making jokes could be called “jestermaxxing” etc.
Mewing: A facial exercise meant to strengthen the jawline
Mirror sex: Using a mirror to watch yourself have sex
Mog: To be more attractive than someone, usually in an intentional or aggressive way. Example: “I was rizzing up this girl, but he walked in and totally mogged me.”
Neurospicy: A different way of saying “neuro-divergent”
Opp: Short for “opposition.” Someone who is out to get you. An enemy.
Regarded: “Regarded” is algo-speak for “retarded”
Rizz: As a noun, “rizz” means charisma. As a verb, rizz or rizz up means attracting someone with your charisma.
Serve: Wearing a particularly stylish outfit. See also: “ate.”
Serve cunt: To act in a powerfully and unapologetically feminine way; to slay
Skibidi Toilet: Named after “Skibidi Toilet,” a popular series of YouTube videos, “skibidi” itself has no specific meaning, beyond ridiculing the overuse of slang itself. See “brain-rot.”
Sigma: A “sigma male” is a lone wolf who is powerful and competent, as opposed to a traditional alpha male stereotypes.
Sweat: A person who tries too hard, usually used in reference to video games. The adjective form is “sweaty.”
Soyjack: a cartoon image of an emasculated man with an open-mouthed smile and an excited expression. Based on “soy-boy,” or weak man.
Spoopy: Spooky
Striker: Stolen/no-title car
Tradwife: Believer in traditional married gender roles
Unc: Short for “uncle,” used to describe slightly older people. Example: “The class of 2024 are unc-status to the class of 2028.”
Twelve: Police
Twin: Best friend. Regional slang from Atlanta that became popular online.
“We’re so back”: Opposite of “it’s so over”
Yapping: Describes a presentational style often seen on online streams of talking a lot and/or quickly while not saying anything worthwhile
Zoomer Perm: A curly on top, short on the sides haircut popular among young people.
